Manuel Cuevas began sewing when he was 7 years old. Now 85, the acclaimed Western designer has spent a lifetime clothing music legends like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner.

This fall, he'll receive an honor shinier than any rhinestone-studded suit: a 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellowship. This prestigious fellowship, which is awarded annually by the National Endowment for the Arts, is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

This year's recipients, which include old-time fiddler Eddie Bond and R&B musician Barbara Lynn, will receive a $25,000 award; they will also be officially honored in Washington, DC during a ceremony on Sept. 26 and a concert Sept. 28.

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Jackets created by Manuel hang on a rack at his shop March 29, 2016, in Nashville.(Photo11: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

Born in Mexico, Manuel moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s, where he began working for Western designer Nudie Cohn. In the late '80s, he moved to Nashville, and can still be found nearly every day in his shop on Broadway. Despite the countless hours he's spent at a sewing machine, Manuel doesn't feel as though he's worked a day in his life. As he told the Tennessean in 2016, "It was a calling."